The University School Parking Lot

Nic Pujolas, Staff Writer

This year, parking at University School went from a working system, which required little to no thought, to a devious chore, where one might be punished for a simple mistake. The student parking lot itself is separated into two sections: a section for seniors and a section for underclassmen. These sections are separated by yellow and white lines. In addition to the student parking lot, the students can also park in front of the athletic fields for sports practice.

Before the 2018 school year, the parking pass had not been heavily enforced, and many students did not bother getting one. However, at the beginning of the 2018 school year, 57 students were fined fifty dollars for either parking in the wrong section or for not having a parking pass. This event brought up multiple questions regarding student parking. The largest question that students asked was: “Why do I need a parking pass and why am I getting fined so much if I do not have one?”

Before the 2018 school year, parking was not a large concern for University School students. However, now, the administration has begun to crack down on underclassmen parked in the senior lot and on cars without passes. In addition, athletes are now banned from driving down to the fields, and instead, have to walk down after school. With all of these new restrictions on parking, there arise many problems for students, and at the same time many solutions.

When it comes to being fined, there is an easy solution—obtaining a parking pass. On the US website, there is an application that needs to be filled out in order to obtain a parking pass. Simply go to the US website, look up the word “parking,” and the first result on the screen will forward you to the parking pass application. Within this application, you are asked for details about your car along with your driver’s license number. Once this application is filled out and submitted, Mrs. Kalman will have your pass waiting at the front desk the next day.

Another new restriction on parking involves a student athlete’s ability to drive down to the athletic fields after school. The ability to drive down to the field has a big impact on soccer and football athletes. Coach Ptacek and Coach Malbasa never want to delay a sports practice and always want high energy and high performance out of their teams. Having to walk to the athletic fields affects an athlete’s performance. For example, a football player would have to carry his backpack, and on occasion all of his football pads, to the field. There is no question that a long walk in the sun carrying heavy athletic gear would impact the energy of an athlete. The simple solution here would be to simply allow students to drive to the fields, as there seems to be no negative consequence from this decision.

This year, parking at University School is a sticky situation. While there are many simple answers to the questions that have been asked, there are also some rather thought-provoking questions that seem to bring up a lot of heated debate. The administration should reconsider the issue of students driving to the fields, as the impact on athletic performance might not make the current solution worth it.